The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3228, 25 June 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1873.

The jealousy between Victoria and New South Wales, in the matter of postal services, seems likely to result in increased cost to every Australian Colony. This is unfortunate, as, in addition to the expense, weak and inefficient services are likely to result. Disunion was the cause of the breakdown of the New Zealand and Californian Mail Service. In that case both New South Wales and Victoria were equally interested with this Colony in the continuance of the postal line ; but they allowed commercial jealousies to interfere with a manifest general benefit ; and preferred that the route should be abandoned, rather than that one Colony, however entitled to it by priority of occupation or natural position, should be made the terminus. It was the old protective selfishness breaking out in a new form, and was virtually saying, “We will have no good thing excepting on our own terms,' and those terms are, we will have the best portion of the benefit or none.” Many complaints, loud, deep, and deserved, were made against the Webb service. The vessels employed were denounced in no measured terms, and their irregularity was also deprecated. Both charges were undoubtedly deserved. But it is only due to the contractors to ask how far they were to blame for the deficiences, and how far the Colonies were responsible for them 1 It may be truly said that had the requisite number of vessels been put on the line; had the accommodation and provision been unexceptionable ; had unswerving punctuality been observed in the arrival-and departure of the boats, there would have been every inducement to combine for the support of the service. But, on the other hand, efficiency might have been induced by conditional co-operation. It is in this respect that enterprise so frequently fails, not only in steam services, but in other ventures depending for success upon public support. The public very naturally desire the best that can be got for money, but they are hard task-masters : they will not assist in doing the work ) but when it is done, they do not hesitate to share the benefit. They desire a good postal service, but want it to be perfect in its operation before the promoters have time to ascertain what is requisite to its complete organisation. They say, “ Let us see what you can do, and then we will say whether we will help you.” This was just the style in which Victoria and New South Wales treated the Webb Postal Service. But this is not all. Every new postal line interferes with existing institutions, and has to fight a battle with them. It is not to be expected that rival companies can relinquish ground already occupied by them. In large communities, where population is counted by millions instead of a few hundreds of thousands, development is comparatively easy. It is found that, instead of interfering with existing institutions, every additional facility for intercommunication is so much added to the commerce of the country. The immediate effect may be to induce rival lines to perfect their machinery, so as to compete in cheapness and attractiveness with the new competitors; but it is seldom that they are driven from the field. It is found that so far from driving them off the ground already possessed, by that insensible law of commerce by which additional trade in one direction benefits every other branch, after a time, unless in very exceptional cases, their own and all other interests are benefited. In comparatively small communities, such as the Australasian Colonies, this law of diffusion of commercial benefit is not so easily recognised. Commercial jealousy yicjvs with apprehension the building of a new sjiip, the publication of a new newspaper, the introduction of a new machine, the construction of a railway, or the acceptance of a pew postal contract. Then follows a separation of the community into two parties: one trying to maintain things as they are, the other to add to them a something suggested by the necessities of the advancement of society. One becomes the party of stagnation j the other of progression. We do not know a more apt illustration of this social phase than was presented at the deputation that waited on , the Superintendent yesterday. The object qf file deputation was to induce his Hojcior to fcakp sjbeps to complete the* coast line of road between fort Chal-

mere and Dunedin. It was pointed out to them that it would be advisable to form communications between the different stations and the populations they were intended to benefit. For between twenty and thirty years the settlers have been without an available shore road between the two places, and now the very best description of road is provided for them ; yet we find two of the stagnation party expressing themselves thus:— Mr Smith :—lt never would do for the district A railway is all very well, but it will not answer all purposes. People cannot drive stock on it. The Superintendent : But stock can be carried by railway. Mr Isaac Green : There is firewood. It will not pay to send it by railway. Thus, for the sake of the fancied idea of driving stock, which can be transported at half the cost and risk by railway, and with the advantage of not losing in condition, and the transport of a few tons of firewood, that can no doubt be much more cheaply conveyed by the same means, these men would force upon the Province the expenditure of a sura of money that would most probably exceed the whole value of the stock and firewood conveyed along that road for the next seven years. Mr Smith and Mr Isaac Green fairly represent the stagnation element in the Colonies. They are imbued with the spirit that has done much to retard human progress. Although comparatively young men, they are very old in their ideas, and seem to have been brought up in a school that has excluded careful calculation from its curriculum. They, no doubt, like many established postal services, can tot up their own accounts, and see what it costs to drive half-a-dozen bullocks to market once or twice a-year ; but they do not see the pressing necessity on society of advancement and development. They look upon every new route as so much out of their pockets instead of a means of adding to population and wealth; and set themselves to oppose what must ultimately prove the highest benefit to themselves. Withholdingsupportfrom the San Francisco Service by Victoria and New South Wales was one great reason of its collapse. The infant trade which month by month must have grown, when once fairly established, has been nipped in the bud; all the work will have to be done over again, with the additional difficulty of the discredit of two failures to overcome. New South Wales and Queensland are about to make a third attempt on their own account, which, if no agreement is come to with the other Colonies, is likely to prove weak. Perhaps it will b© well should it prove abortive, for then it will show that it is vain to attempt to monopolise advantages that should be diffused over the Australasian group.